Chapter 35 Wings & Blades #2
This one was cat-like, with a gaping maw of jagged, obsidian teeth and a long, whip-like tail made entirely of charred bones.
Without setting foot into the Rot, Titania sent a burst of flame toward it, but was blocked by the first Unseelie monster, which dodged and stepped outside the boundary of the curse, swinging with deadly claws.
Its companion leapt into the tree canopy, loped along a long branch, and then launched itself at Oberon from above.
He threw his shadows out, creating a solid shield studded with spikes, which impaled the beast’s shoulders.
Devil swung his scythe across its belly and had to duck behind his own shield of light as it spewed black bile.
Calling up more shadows, Oberon threw the entire shield back into the darkness just as Hippolyta brought her blade down on the first monster’s leg, severing it clean from the body.
It let out a horrifying wail and swiped at her, its talons scraping across her copper breastplate with an ear-splitting squeal.
She stumbled away, falling beside me, and Titania screamed with rage, finally engulfing the dark thing in her flames.
I bent down to put a hand on Hippolyta’s chest just as she opened her eyes and shoved me to the ground behind her and covered me with her own body.
“They’re gone,” Titania cried, collapsing onto her knees.
“They’re gone. It was only two this time.
” Hippolyta left me and rushed over to pull her queen away from the boundary of the Rot, while I shifted to sit on trembling knees, hardly knowing what to do.
Devil, still covered in Antenor’s blood like I was, pulled me into his arms and closed his wings around us.
I held him tightly, pressing my face into his neck so I could feel the slipshod pulse of magyk beneath his skin.
“Are you hurt?” he whispered.
“N-no,” I sobbed, fresh tears falling as my body shook with relief. “Are you?”
“Fit as a fiddle.” He attempted a smile when I looked up, and I just shook my head incredulously.
There was a shout from behind us, and Devil’s wings opened to reveal Simeon approaching with a small contingent of fay soldiers.
He surveyed the scene quickly, determined that we were in no immediate danger, then crouched beside Antenor.
I released Devil and ran to help. It took me only a few minutes to get all the remaining blood loss under control, but he was still unconscious.
I used the opportunity to run my magyk through his veins, preemptively soothing his pain and getting a headstart on repairing the vicious slash marks marring his entire upper body.
Finally, I ran my fingers over the ragged stumps of flesh protruding from the back of his tunic.
The sound of him begging for death echoed in my head, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made the right decision.
Only a few days before, he had told me that he would not trade his wings for even a drop of the Arden’s magyk, and now I had taken them away from him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, bunching his ruined and bloody shirt between my fingers as I cried. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do…”
A shadow fell over me and I dried my eyes to look up.
“You should have run,” said Oberon calmly.
“I couldn’t…just leave…” I took a deep breath and changed the subject, not in the mood for a lecture. “We need to get him back to the Bower. I have to work on these wounds quickly, to reduce the scarring.”
“Yes,” Oberon agreed, “for now, we will take him home with us.”
“Home…with us…” I muttered, his words not quite registering until I saw Devil, who was standing nearby, looking uneasy.
“You are coming home, are you not?” Oberon said pointedly. It did not seem like the best time for anyone to notice that things had changed, so I stood up and faced him.
“I can bring myself now.”
His dark eyes widened. “Can you?”
“I kept busy while you were ‘away from The Bower’,” I said, rather bitterly.
“Oh, I am certain you did,” Oberon replied without hesitation, his hard gaze also falling onto Devil.
I clenched my fists and squared my shoulders, but he simply brushed past me and let his shadows wrap around Antenor’s body.
Simeon, who was assisting Hippolyta in organizing a search for the attacker, gave him a small nod.
Once Oberon had taken his patient and vanished, I slumped, and Devil was there, one hand pressing steadily against my back.
“I have to go home,” I murmured, leaning into his chest, “to make sure Antenor is taken care of. You ought to stay here and help.”
“Are you sure?”
“Would you have saved him?” I asked, pulling back to watch his face. “If I had not ordered you to, would you have even tried to save his life? Or would you have put him out of his misery, like you did to Angus Gower at the tournament?”
Devil hesitated before answering. “I am not a creature of mercy, Marina. He asked for death, and I would have obliged, to spare him the pain, if for no other reason.”
“This healing gift…” I said slowly, “is not without obligation, and if you do not understand that, then there is nothing you can do to help me while I care for him.” Devil began to speak, but I held my hand up.
“I am not angry, but we are very different creatures, you and I. Let me focus on healing, while you put your talents to better use here.”
“I know the magyk takes its toll on you,” he sighed, “that is all. I do not want you to be alone in this.”
I attempted a soft smile. “Then give me enough of you to last a few days, and I will keep it in my pocket. Never too far away.”
“Your wish is my command, princess.” He held out his hand and released a stream of fireflies, which circled my body and settled around my waist like a belt. “If you need me, for any reason, send one of these and I’ll come.”
“Stay out of trouble, please,” I whispered, going up on the balls of my feet to kiss his cheek. He put a hand on my hip and I could tell he wanted more, but I stepped away quickly. Titania was standing alone, staring at the Rot and I walked over to her, hands clasped anxiously behind my back.
“You saved us,” I said to her. “You didn’t have to.”
“I am not the monster you imagine me to be,” she replied.
“How did you know we were in trouble?”
She put a hand over her heart and simply said, “I am the Arden, and so is Oberon. When the forest hurts, we both feel it. When he hurts, I feel that too.”
“Then you must both be in constant agony.”
“Love is agony, Marina. To love anything at all is to tear your own heart out and let it loose in the world, raw and vulnerable.”
“And you’ve not discovered any remedy for a raw and vulnerable heart?” I asked, somewhat sarcastically.
“I have not,” Titania whispered, her eyes drifting over to Hippolyta before she cleared her throat rather abruptly. “When you are ready, when you are strong enough to face the Rot, and not a moment before, I will help you.”
My heart leapt and I fought back a victorious smile.
I wanted to put my arms around her, but she turned away without another word and began walking along the edge of the Rot infestation.
A beautiful train of light fanned out behind her, brushing over the grass, but keeping itself well clear of the darkness.